OUR VIEW: Donnell gave inspiration with courage, generosity

More than five years after his death, Chase Donnell continues to inspire our community.

Chase, who was a fifth-grade student at Walter Hill Elementary, died in March 2008 after battling Burkitt's Lymphoma. He was well known for his big smile and his kind heart.

After being treated for cancer for seven months, Chase was granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Instead of wanting a trip to Disneyland or a chance to meet a celebrity, Chase's wish wasn't for himself. A soccer and baseball player and avid sports fan, Chase wanted fix up his school's gym.

Just before he passed away, volunteers came to the school to make improvements to the gym. Make-A-Wish donated new balls, racquets and a new sound system.

On Wednesday, the community remembered Chase, who would be 16, by naming a one-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 231 in his honor.

Butch Campbell, who has since retired as Walter Hill's principal and now serves as vice chairman of the Murfreesboro City Board of Education, said Chase's spirit has stuck with him, and he can't help but think of the young man Chase would've grown to be.

"Many times we have people who are recognized, young people in high school, particularly for athletics. Those are the ones who get the notoriety. Chase Donnell was a very loving, caring, giving young man who decided to do something for his school and his friends," Campbell told a crowd of students, family and community members inside the Walter Hill Elementary gym for a ceremony Wednesday. "Had his life not been cut short, I'm sure he would have been right there at the top, maybe not as an athlete, but as a well-rounded young man and student."

Chase's spirit lives on through the gymnasium at Walter Hill Elementary, the stretch of highway named in his honor and the Chase Donnell Award, an award given to students Walter Hill Elementary for generosity and willingness to help others.

Dance on the Square

If you've been meaning to Friday Night Live but haven't gone yet, tonight's the night.

The free concert series, which is held on the Square from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., will wrap up for the season tonight with a concert by The O'Donnells, a country, bluegrass duo.

You're urged to bring a lawn chair to sit and enjoy the music, but we also hope you dance.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

OUR VIEW: Donnell gave inspiration with courage, generosity

More than five years after his death, Chase Donnell continues to inspire our community.